New announcement: Canadian Psychiatric Association Brings Together Military and Veteran Psychiatry

OTTAWA, Sept. 29, 2013 /CNW/ - Yesterday the Canadian Psychiatric Association held the first meeting of the newly formed CPA Military and Veterans Section, bringing together Canada's foremost experts in the field to network, collaborate, and foster evidence-based care and research. The Section is a unique opportunity for researchers and clinicians working with the military, veterans and their families to share knowledge and best practices in treating a population with distinctive needs that are not well understood by fellow psychiatrists, family physicians, and members of the public.

"Not only can networks such as the CPA Military and Veteran's Section foster new knowledge it can also reduce the lag time between finding out what works and putting that new knowledge into practice to support military members, veterans and families. " says the President of the Canadian Psychiatric Association, Dr. Suzane Renaud.

"PTSD and other operational stress injuries affect everyone," adds past CPA president Dr. Fiona McGregor.. "Over the last 10 years, the Canadian Armed Forces have implemented a strong, evidence-based and multidisciplinary mental health program and are leaders in the area of PTSD and other operational stress injuries. By bringing together military and civilian psychiatrists who treat who treat members of the military, veterans and their families, the section offers a unique forum for mutual knowledge exchange and collaboration to also improve services to military spouses and children."

"On behalf of everyone in the Canadian Armed Forces who benefit from their tireless work, I would like to sincerely thank the Canadian Psychiatric Association for being a champion in the area of military members' and veteran's mental health, and for bringing together the nation's top psychiatrists in the field to help support current and former military members and their families," said General Tom Lawson, Chief of the Defence Staff. "With the establishment of this new section, the CPA is continuing to demonstrate their commitment to the health of our military members, and to ensuring that lessons learned through research and best practices in the military mental health community are shared in order to benefit other populations such as police, firefighters, industry and the general public."

Founding Co-Chairs, Dr. Don Richardson, a consultant psychiatrist with the Parkwood Operational Stress Injury Clinic who works with veterans, and Colonel Rakesh Jetly, a Canadian Armed Forces psychiatrist and the Senior Mental Health Clinical Advisor to the Surgeon General, agreed that there is a need for a continuum of care that supports reservists and CF members throughout their careers with the military, and as they make the transition to civilian life.

"We are excited to help launch the CPA Military and Veterans Section," said Jetly and Richardson, "We think there's a lot of potential in bringing this kind of expertise together in one group."

The Canadian Psychiatric Association is the national voice for Canada's 4,500 psychiatrists and more than 600 psychiatric residents. Founded in 1951, the CPA is dedicated to promoting an environment that fosters excellence in the provision of clinical care, education and research.